Letter: Willits bypass: A simple solution

OK, I'll take a chance and offer up a solution to the ongoing fight over the bypass.

There is a list of some absolute truths:

First, the bypass will be built. That is, unless the Big One hits and California drops into the Pacific.

Second, it will be built with tax payers' dollars. That's yours and mine. I've seen estimates which show that CalTrans has set aside $50 million for environmental mitigation. That's $50 million plus an additional $4 million for protest mitigation and $160 million for the actual construction. Another truth is that the more we protest, fight, obstruct and delay the construction, the more dollars will be wasted to complete the already obscenely costly project and the greater the environmental impact.

The most ridiculous part of this fiasco is that our tax dollars are being wasted while multiple government agencies compete for the honor of being the biggest, meanest dog on the block and the supreme waster of taxpayer money. It is no longer a fight over building the bypass or providing adequate mitigation; it's an ego duel between narcissistic government agencies.

This 5-mile project has been in the planning and construction phase for over 50 years. By comparison, the 1,700-mile Alaska/Canadian Highway was built in one year and in the 1860s the nearly 2,000-mile transcontinental railroad was built in six years.

Here's some more comparisons for you: based on the following agencies' 2013-14 budgets, the $54 million for environmental and protest mitigation would either run the City of Willits for 14 years, the Willits Fire Department for 65 years or the Laytonville Fire Department and Ambulance for 154 years. With just the interest on the $54 million, the Willits Fire Department could build its new fire station.

We are know that Caltrans' primary mandate is to build and manage California's highway system. To meet this mandate, Caltrans has many well-qualified engineers to design and oversee highway construction. We also know that the Water Quality Board's primary mandate is to protect water and Water Quality is not in the business to build highways. Both of these agencies receive the bulk of their funding from taxes. No matter how the money is spent on this project, it's the tax payers that are footing the bill.

So here's my solution: CalTrans has highway engineers and Water Quality has environmental engineers; so let's let CalTrans build the highway and let Water Quality write and implement the mitigation plan. It's all taxpayers' money, so why should it matter which agency spends it? CalTrans could simply transfer the budgeted mitigation funds to Water Quality and they could develop whatever mitigations they felt were necessary. That way, we, the taxpayers, would have the best of both worlds. Caltrans can concentrate on efficiently building a highway in a timely manner and Water Quality can ensure the highest level of protection for water and its beneficial uses.

If, as I am sure it will happen, the $50 million is not sufficient to write and implement Water Quality's mitigation plan, then they can simply go to the Legislature and ask for whatever money they feel is necessary.

If it is, in fact, necessary to spend more than $50 million to mitigate the impacts of 5 miles of highway, then I am sure the legislature will give Water Quality whatever funds they may need. Problem solved. Those of us that no longer enjoy traversing beautiful downtown Willits will get our bypass and the environmentalists will enjoy the fruits of their protests with copious mitigation.